Michigan State enters the 2026-27 season with the kind of buzz that usually comes with a loaded roster, and the Spartans backed it up in the preseason Big Ten poll.
In a ranking put together by The Columbus Dispatch - since the conference does not release its own preseason poll - Michigan State landed second in the league, trailing only Illinois. The Spartans collected nine first-place votes, giving them a strong spot near the top of the projected standings.
Illinois finished first with 498 points and 18 first-place votes. Michigan State was right behind at 483 points. Michigan checked in third with 436 points and one first-place vote, followed by UCLA, Nebraska, Purdue, USC, Ohio State, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Northwestern, Rutgers and Penn State.
The Spartans also have the preseason player of the year on their side in Jeremy Fears Jr., who won the honor in a landslide. He was the only unanimous selection to the First Team All-Big Ten, joining Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort and Illinois’ David Mirkovic.
Fears Jr. is coming off a huge season, averaging 15.2 points per game while leading the nation with 9.4 assists. He was also named an All-American in his redshirt sophomore year and picked up 23 of a possible 28 votes for preseason player of the year.
Michigan State’s core around him is plenty familiar, too. Coen Carr is back after starting last season and putting up 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while bringing his athleticism on both ends.
Cam Ward and Jordan Scott return as rising sophomores, and Tom Izzo added Anton Bonke through the transfer portal. The 7-foot-2 big man comes over from Charlotte after averaging 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, giving the Spartans the size they needed in the paint.
In Other News...
Michigan State Volleyball Is Getting National Attention For A Big Reason
Michigan State volleyball is back in the national conversation, and Malayah Long is a big reason why. The redshirt sophomore setter was named Big Ten Setter of the Week for the first time after helping power a 2-0 conference weekend, capped by a career-best 65 assists against USC.
The recognition comes at a time when the Spartans are starting to draw wider attention again, with Michigan State checking in at No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for its first national ranking since 2018. For a program looking to reestablish itself among the Big Tens top groups, Longs rise gives the Spartans another sign that this start may be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Looks Like A Real Big Ten Problem For MSU
Michigans backcourt is already looking like one of the early storylines in the Big Ten, and that matters plenty for Michigan State. Elliot Cadeau, a senior point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and Trey McKenney, a sophomore coming off All-Freshman Team honors, were both picked for the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, giving the Wolverines a pair of recognized pieces before the league even tips off.
For Michigan, the nods add to a program history that now includes 26 players earning preseason All-Big Ten recognition, and it is one of only three conference teams with multiple selections this time around. For the Spartans, it is another reminder that the race at the top of the league is shaping up to be crowded, with Michigan already carrying the kind of preseason credibility that can make head-to-head meetings feel even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
MSU Homecoming Now Feels Like A Test Of Fan Patience
Michigan State heads into Homecoming still searching for a way to steady a season that has drifted off course in Big Ten play. Pat Fitzgerald has been pressing the same themes throughout the slump - cleaner execution, better competitiveness and a team that can give its crowd something to hold onto during a rebuilding year.
Homecoming should be a chance to reset the mood, but it also has started to feel like a measuring stick for patience. The Spartans know the support is there, yet the next step is proving they can turn that into something worth cheering, rather than another afternoon that leaves the fan base waiting for signs of progress. [Read more 🡒]